/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>20517765
A cast iron pan is good for couples who want to have a baby. They are a little harder to take care of than a dog. Once you and your girl mastered training a dog, then you can move onto how to care and baby a cast iron pan. It will force you to think about cooking and everything else differently by adding 7 extra steps to frying an egg. But once you've surrendered yourself to bathing and wiping and swaddling a pan, you're just about ready for a crying newborn to take the rest of your free time.

>>20517788
I thought /ck/ stood for CooKing, not "comedians and kooks"

How about some real answers, huh fellas?

>>20517765
>What'll cast iron offer me?
decor.

Stay away from new Lodge. They're dirt cheap for a reason. Shitty factory seasoning that always flakes, and the surface of the metal is rough, so even if you strip off the seasoning to start fresh you'd have to grind the cooking surface smooth first. If you go looking for old antique vintage stuff don't be put off by rust, that can be easily fixed. When you pick up old cast iron hold it by the handle, and give the bottom a firm tap with a wood spoon, or just your knuckles. It should ring sort of like a bell. If it has a dull "thwack" sound that means it's cracked and no good. If you want a recommendation for a new cast iron skillet I would recommend Stargazer. They have a 12in for around $150, or a 10.5 for $125. They also sell them both preseasoned, or completely unseasoned with just a protective coating of mineral oil for shipping. For seasoning you can use just about any oil you want, but a good quality food grade flaxseed oil is generally considered ideal. I typically use grapeseed oil and that works well enough. You want to apply the oil all over the skillet, inside and out, including the handle, then wipe basically all of it off. You want to build up your seasoning slowly in stages, filling in all microscopic gaps from in the previous coating. If you apply too much oil you will get sticky spots of oil that didn't fully polymerize, and will eventually cause problems with your seasoning flaking off. Once you've got your pan lightly coated, stick in in your oven upside down at 500°F for an hour, then let it cool completely before repeating the process.

>>20517840
I haven't been called a kook since I was 15. I'm still really bad at surfing though.

>>20517891
>t.stargazer shareholder
Lodge is fine OP.
Use it enough and it will be as smooth as your (((Teflon))) pans
Soap is ok, just don't use harsh scrubbing sponges
Use a chain mail scrubber
Season with any cooking oil
Seasoning the handle is optional. Maybe do it once and be done with it.

>>20518238
New lodge sucks ass. I have an 8in, and 10in Lodge from the 70's and they are in a whole different league to new Lodge. Their factory seasoning is applied way too thick so it ends up flaking constantly. If you don't want black shards of polymerized oil in everything you eat you have to strip it all off and start over, but they don't machine their castings enough if at all to smooth them out so you have to do it yourself before reseasoning. Just spend the extra money on a Stargazer, and none of that is an issue. You get a way better handle that's much more ergonomic especially on the 12in, and the flared rim pours much better than the tiny little pour spouts.

>>20517765
Use plenty of fat when cooking with it.
Don't use it to boil anything
Never use soap on it.
Never scrub it with abrasive materials
If it doesn't wipe clean, pour a cup of water in it while it's sizzling hot and wipe it out.
Don't cook acidic shit in it. It ruins the seasoning layer.(Tomato,vinegar,lemon juice)
Hang it up to dry after use.
Kill home invaders with it. The judge will love that and he will let you off the hook no doubt.

>>20517891
>Stargazer
Lol. Imagine falling for the boutique cast iron scam. Did somebody sell you a bridge as well?
Meanwhile, here's a new Lodge with the factory seasoning and "rough" surface.

>>20518439
>Don't cook acidic shit in it. It ruins the seasoning layer.(Tomato,vinegar,lemon juice)
What the hell do you cook in it then? Just steak or eggs?

>>20518468
$150 is "boutique" to you? In the grand scheme of cookware that's actually a pretty good price for a high quality 12in skillet. There's plenty of much more expensive peices of cast iron out there which definitely aren't worth the price. I have noticed that the Lodge's with rounded corners are less prone to flaking, but I'm talking about the typical $20 12in skillet that everyone gets when they want to try cast iron. How much did that skillet cost? The closest one I can find on Amazon costs $50.
Also I just noticed Stargazer has a 15% discount code for Memorial day right now.

>>20517765
Ignore most of the overcomplicated directions about babying muh' seasoning. Just don't let it get rusty. Scrub it with anything, even steel wool. If the seasoning gets damaged spot season it on the stovetop, just heat it up and rub oil on the silver spots with a paper towel until they brown. New seasoning being a little reddish is normal. Avoid cooking anything acidic in it like tomato or it'll leech metal, it's not dangerous but avoid that.

>>20518503
It's not necessarily that you can't cook anything acidic in it, just that you should be aware that it does damage the seasoning. You don't want to cook something acidic in it for a long time. Once it's done you should immediately remove it to another dish, and clean out the pan.

>>20518536
This nigga shilling for stargazer. The lodge skillet in the webm is $39.

>>20517765
The heat retention properties are different, that's about all that matters if you're capable of properly handling both.

>>20517840
I thought it was funny.

t. stainless-steel enjoyer

>>20518439
>Don't cook acidic shit in it
This isn't quite true. You can cook acidic foods in a cast iron pan, you just don't want to be slow-cooking them in cast iron. The acid will damage the seasoning, but it takes a while. If you want to make grandma's 4-hr pasta sauce, use an enameled dutch oven or stainless pot.

>>20517891
Rough surface doesn't matter
Didn't read the rest of your screed

>>20517891
>spending 8x on a hunk of literal fucking iron
lodge's are so cheap because raw iron is so cheap. a food and his money are easily parted.

>>20519488
a fool*

>>20517891
Retard

I bought some for my airfryer. Heat em up while prepping. Makes meat come out even better. But it's a hassle and not worth the extra work - you have to wash manually, wipe dry immediately, oil, the works. Do you have an airfryer? No? Well, it's a better investment than those shitty pans. I oiled them up and put them into storage (in plastic bags).

I was a fan of cast iron for a while but yeah the limitation on not being able to use tomatos or wine or vinegar in it is kind of annoying.
I have a grill cast iron, a normal cast iron and a stainless steel pan and theres very little that I cant cook well in the stainless steel pan that doesnt go better in the grill cast iron.

>>20518536
it's a hunk of fucking iron bro, if you're paying 150 for that you're next level retard. He'd be better off finding a vintage cast iron at a thrift store then paying 150 fucking dollars for a fucking iron pan. You can buy an allclad stainless pan for less then that.

>>20519539
>I was a fan of cast iron for a while but yeah the limitation on not being able to use tomatos or wine or vinegar in it is kind of annoying.
1) If you've seasoned it, that's no issue. The acidic shit ain't touching the metal.
2) Even unseasoned isn't a problem unless you're stewing something acidic for multiple hours/don't let it sit in it over night.

And friendly reminder, if your seasoning can't resist a little dawn and a sponge, you haven't successfully seasoned your pan.

>>20519560
>If you've seasoned it, that's no issue
Ive seasoned and reseasoned and I can tell whenever I cook with any of those things the normally shiny layer goes dull. I dont wanna cook 300 meals without them to build a thick patina so that maybe I will end up breaking my seasoning again by cooking in them.
>inb4 muh "you didnt actually season it" no true scotsman phallacy

>>20519569
Thickness isn't what gets you that protection.
It's not a no true scotsman. It it's just the case. And judging by your leaning on thickness here, you have no understanding of what you're talking about. It makes sense that you think incorrect things.

>>20517765

THIS IS ALL YOU WILL EVER FUCKING NEED.

>THIS

CHANGES

>EVERYTHING

FINEX MOTHERFUCKER

>>20517891
>>20518439
>>20519560
god SHUT THE FUCK UP

>>20519560
Absolute bullshit, acidic foods always ruins your seasoning, or at the very least damages it

>>20519599
>A squeeze of lemon, a few tablespoons of tomato sauce, a dash of soy sauce—these foods in small quantities are just fine. But large amounts of very acidic foods like vinegar, tomato sauce, and citrus can eat away at the seasoning when cooked for extended periods of time. The same goes for foods that are extremely alkaline, like beans. We don’t recommend cooking these foods for long periods of time in new cast iron cookware because they can damage the thin layer of seasoning on the pan. We recommend avoiding acidic foods or recipes with higher liquid contents for longer periods of time until the seasoning is well established.

I think I'll take the word of the company that only does cast iron over your hoodoo beliefs.

>>20519616
>I dont wanna cook 300 meals without them to then maybe be able to in small intervals
>umm sweetie thats wrong
>links company statement
>please dont use acidic ingredients for 300 meals :)
Sure anon, totally proven me wrong

>>20519627
>Sure anon, totally proven me wrong
lmao. Thanks for admitting to everyone that you're illiterate and too stupid to understand basic statements, not to mention the science going on here.

>>20517765
Is it good for making pan pizza in a shitty home oven?

>>20519661
Absolutely

>>20519590
>imagine paying $400 for a Lodge
how embarrassing

>>20521369
its a heckin finex you fucking mong

>>20522426
>portland
they probably added lead to it

>>20521369
I got a lodge for $50 on sale from home depot idk why people think they cost $800

>>20517765
>Have to constantly ‘season’ the pan through a long, dull process of applying oil and sticking it in the oven multiple times / not washing it with soap, so it doesn’t lose it’s coating and make everything taste like shit and ruin the pan
>Can’t cook acidic food on it or else it will taste like metal and the pan will lose its coating
>Have to make sure the piece of shit never rusts or else it’s joever and you can never use it again

There’s a reason we moved past heating things on large chunks of molded iron when better and more efficient materials became available. Unless you have a restaurant and need something that can sustain high temperatures for an extended period of time, there is no reason to buy it just because your favourite soituber said so.

>>20522426
>Lodge Cast Iron announced Tuesday it is buying FINEX Cast Iron and will shift production of FINEX skillets, pans and ovens to Lodge's foundry in South Pittsburg
What did Lodge mean by this? Also, you paid $300 for a Lodge pan, you fucking mong.

>>20522512
Sorry forgot the date on the announcement. August 13 2019.

>>20522465
Lodge has a couple of upscale sub-brands like Blacklock and Finex that they use to fleece the rubes.

>>20517765
>everything I need to know.
It's a hunk of metal that gets hot when placed over a heat source and this allows you to cook food.

>>20522512
>t. doesnt understand branding

>>20522507
I wash mine with soap literally everyday, and I can cook eggs in it without them sticking. Don't repeat myths.

>>20517765
Just get Carbon steel, it's the same thing but lighter and easier to use

>>20518439
>Never use soap on it
That's a myth

>>20522719
>noooo why doesn't he fall for le heckin branderino flimflam zamadoodle

>>20517788
lol'd internally

>>20517765
It'll help you build muscle and get stronger. Also doubles as a weapon against intruders.

>>20518536
you could buy 2 debuyer 12 inch carbon steel skillets for that much which would serve better. literally half the appeal of cast iron over steel is the cheap cost

>>20518468
proves the vintage cast iron meme is in fact, a meme

>>20518238
Wtf is a chain mail scrubber and how is it less harsh than a fucking sponge?

>heat retention
wow, cool!
>keeping rancid flavor particles embedded in the pan as an "upside"
hmm, no thanks